Friday, July 01, 2011

Today is the last day of our novena. It is the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart represents the essential truth of our Lord, that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). It represents His inner life, especially the perfect love of our Lord within the Blessed Trinity, and also the abundant, unceasing love, both Divine and human, which He directs towards you and towards all men. (If you are interested, you can read Pope Pius XII's comments on devotion to the Sacred Heart here).

Jesus, in the purity and simplicity of His love, desires to raise you up and make you more than you are now. To make you holy, to make you joyful, to make you wise, to make you strong, to fill you to overflowing with the Divine life. He is filled with goodwill towards you and towards all persons, but it is all too easy to be distracted from this fact.

So for one more time, please set aside all distractions great and small, and in the quiet of your heart speak to His heart:

O most holy Heart of Jesus,fountain of every blessing,I adore Thee, I love Theeand with a lively sorrow for my sins,I offer Thee this poor heart of mine.Make me humble, patient, pureand wholly obedient to Thy will.Grant, good Jesus,that I may live in Thee and for Thee.Protect me in the midst of danger;comfort me in my afflictions;give me health of body,assistance in my temporal needs,Thy blessing on all that I do,and the grace of a holy death.Within Thy Heart I place my every care.In every need let me come to Theewith humble trust saying,Heart of Jesus help me.